The Downward Spirals Of Life - Top Ten Steps For Freeing
Ourselves From
Some people call them vicious circles or cycles. I prefer to
think of them as downward spirals of life. Those periods that we
can all become trapped in like the whirlpool of water as it
drains from the tub. If we're not careful and mindful these
downward spirals can suck the life right out of us. Here are a
few simple and effective steps you can use to free yourself of
such life sucking periods. 1. NOTICE THE SPIRAL YOU'RE IN. As is
so often true, awareness is the first step to intervention. Much
of the power of a downward spiral comes from our continuing to
be unaware of the direction of our life. Like a whirlpool, a
downward spiral's power picks up strength and speed the longer
we're in it; so it follows that the sooner we become aware we
are trapped in a downward spiral, the easier it will be to
change the direction of our life. It's often helpful to remember
a downward spiral reversed becomes a spiral of fulfillment. 2.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE FULLY PRESENT TO YOUR LIFE. When you first
notice you're in a downward spiral, the tendency is to quickly
react in an effort to free yourself. This initial reaction is
often based in fear and may only exacerbate the spiral. Instead,
take time to notice what is happening from a detached position.
Witness your life by stepping outside of it for awhile. One
simple way to do this is to imagine you are in a movie theater
reviewing the "Story of My Life" movie. Watch and Observe. 3.
CONSCIOUSLY RELEASE THE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. As you begin to
"Dismantle" the downward spiral, be sure you release and let go
of the disempowering thoughts and emotions. You might envision a
large bottomless trash can in front of you into which you toss
each thought and each emotion attached to the thought or you can
write it all down then burn the paper, thus releasing their hold
on you. 4. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO INDULGE. Don't get sucked
into the drama of the movie. There's no point to watching the
movie over and over. This will only suck you further down the
spiral. Observe and Move On. 5. COMMIT TO CHANGING DIRECTIONS.
Make a conscious choice to change the direction of your spiral.
You may write down your choice as a declaration or share it with
a friend, loved one or your coach. Draw a line in the sand. 6.
KNOW THE MAKE UP OF A DOWNWARD SPIRAL. Knowing the basic
elements that are the composition of a downward spiral will make
it easier to change its directions. Downward spirals are
composed of "molecules of meaning" which can be further broken
down to fear, and lack based thoughts and emotions. This
includes such things as doubt, worry, "shoulding" on yourself,
jealousy, anger, fear, frustration, etc. All of these come
together to effect who you think you are (i.e., loser, failure,
unlovable, etc.) which then determines the actions you take and
what you say out loud to yourself. All of which then determines
what you have, as in the results with which you measure your
life. 7. USE THE LAW OF ATTRACTION TO CHANGE THE SPIRAL'S
DIRECTION. The Law of Attraction states that "like attracts
like." So just like fear and lack based thoughts will attract
more similar thoughts, the same is true of love and abundance
based thoughts. By changing your thoughts and your emotions you
change the direction of the downward spiral. 8. PRACTICE
PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE. Remember you didn't get into the
downward spiral overnight, so don't expect reversing direction
to take place in an instance. Just as it takes time to stop a
car and put it into reverse, it will take time before you'll see
the evidence that your downward spiral has become a spiral of
fulfillment. In the mean time continue to affirm and trust that
it is so. 9. BEGIN TO GATHER EVIDENCE FOR THE TURNAROUND. As you
continue the turnaround process begin to look for physical
evidence that the process is working. Start with the mindset
that the evidence is there already and your job is to find it
like a detector, rather than wondering whether there is any or
not. 10. DEBRIEF, DECLARE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND CELEBRATE. At
some point you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the
turnaround is complete. Before moving on take a few minutes to
acknowledge what you've learned from the experience, declare to
yourself the accomplishment and celebrate it. You've made major
progress along your purposeful path. "Celebrate, Celebrate.
Dance to the Music."